Dutch Turks urged to keep their cool in Turkish coup aftermath

Dutch Turkish organisations in the Netherlands have urged their members to keep their cool in the wake of Friday’s failed military coup in Turkey and not to break the law, the AD said on Tuesday.

There have been reports of rising tension between different Turkish communities in the Netherlands and attacks on properties owned by opponents of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In addition, the Telegraaf says ‘boycott lists’ of Turkish businesses in Amsterdam that were critical of the president have been circulating.

‘We’ve gone through a couple of crazy days with a lot of emotional reactions,’ Deniz Ozkanli of the Dutch Islamic foundation ISN told the AD. ‘This might be understandable but people should not take the law into their own hands.’

The Netherlands’ deputy prime minister Lodewijk Asscher has also issued a statement calling for calm. ‘Conflicts, wherever they are in the world, are no excuse for intimidation, threats or vandalism in our country,’ he said. ‘Leave people with other points of view alone.’

There are some 500,000 people of Turkish origin in the Netherlands.

DutchNews.nl has been free for 12 years, but now we are asking our readers to help. Your donation will enable us to keep providing you with fair and accurate news and features about all things Dutch. Donate via Ideal, credit card or Paypal.